British expats in Spain are being warned over a virtual kidnapping scam.

The scam is the latest in a selection of similar extortion frauds in which scammers call randomly selected victims and convince them the gang has kidnapped a near relative. They then demand as much as €10,000, threatening to harm the loved one should payment not be made. According to Spanish police, bargaining can get the price down to as little as €500, with some 15000 reported cases of the scam over the past four years.

According to a police spokesperson, the number of cases reported annually has fallen, with 136 over the whole of last year, and lawmakers are telling local media some 17 involved criminals have been either arrested or questioned during the investigation. Police also believe many of those caught by the scam who didn’t make payment simply don’t bother to file a police report. A recent police announcement revealed the latest wave of phone calls have now been traced to convicted criminals at present in jail in South America.

Meanwhile, expats living in Benalmadena are now fearing an unstoppable invasion by the coronavirus as the area’s first patient is admitted to a local hospital. The patient is now in quarantine in a specially prepared isolation ward, with official protocols being strenuously followed. Panic buying in the region is now causing shortages in supermarkets and local stores, with masks and hand gel already sold out.